


Daddy's Girl

by NeuroticChick



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Original Character(s), Pre-Apocalypse, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-21 02:42:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12448005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeuroticChick/pseuds/NeuroticChick
Summary: Rick's daughter gets herself into a complicated situation.





	1. Chapter 1

‘What can I get you?’ The bartender asked. It was a quiet night, there were only a few other people in the bar. 

It had not been a good day for Darcy; if she was being honest with herself it hadn’t been a good year. The day had started with a call from her condescending mother, which swiftly progressed into an argument (as usual) and then a premature hang up of the call. What happened next was a call from her step father, she had an earful about not respecting her mother – she hung up on that call as well. And behind door number three was her witch of a step mother; and unfortunately you can’t hang up on a real life person. 

‘What can I get you?’

She hadn’t argued with her step mother, they didn’t argue, there was just an underlying atmosphere of discontent on both sides. Darcy looked a lot like her mother, and Lori didn’t like a constant reminder of her husband’s ex in the house. Of course she’d never said that, but Darcy knew how to read between the lines. She’d spent every summer here since she was 10, the contempt had started to build when Darcy reached her teens, or at least that was when she had noticed it.

Today had been a slow day, Lori was in the house for most of it and Darcy felt obliged to partake in small talk. She had to bite her tongue when the jibes about her appearance started – why don’t you wear more colours? You show too much skin. You’d look so pretty without your hair in front of your face; why do you wear so much make up? It might have seemed trivial to anyone else, but by the end of the day she needed a drink!

So that brings us to the bar. Darcy had left the house as soon as she could after dinner. She had put her leather jacket over her floral sundress and slipped into her Chelsea boots. She had worn her chestnut hair loose around her shoulders and her signature smoky eye makeup. Darcy had told her dad she was going to meet a friend and that she might sleep over. He had become more relaxed with her since she had turned 20, he viewed her as more of an adult now. 

‘Gin and tonic, please.’ Darcy half smiled at the bartender and waited patiently for her drink, the nice thing about small towns is that they’re not too bothered about checking ID. She looked around the bar; there was a couple in the booth behind her, a group of middle aged men at a large table to her left, some smaller groups dotted around the room and a man drinking alone a few stools away from her at the bar. She sipped her drink and closed her eyes, letting the comforting familiarity wash over her. It might sound strange, but she felt at home in a bar; the smell of beer, the music in the background (loud enough to drown out any awkward silences, but quiet enough to have a conversation). She snuck another look at the man sitting a few seats away from her. He was good looking, dark haired and she could tell he had muscles beneath his grey t-shirt. He was staring intently at his beer, and Darcy felt a sudden pang of jealousy – she didn’t think anyone had ever looked at her that intensely. She wasn’t sure how long she had been staring at him, but he had noticed and turned his head, his gaze meeting hers. She flashed a half smile (it was really more of a quarter smile) and turned her attention back to her drink.

Darcy was three drinks in and could feel the warmth of the alcohol wrapping around her body, she slipped off her leather jacket and hung it over the back of her chair. She had been subtly flirting with the mystery man to her right for the last 45 minutes. She had crossed one leg over the other to flash a little thigh, swept her long hair over to her left shoulder and had sucked on her straw seductively – although that was a little too far, even for her, and she hadn’t done it again. 

Her hard work had paid off, soon enough he was leaning on the bar next to her, she felt like she would melt under his gaze – although she knew that this was mostly because she could feel the gin working through her blood stream. ‘Can I help you with something?’

Darcy looked at him quizzically. She had been expecting him to offer her a drink, but now she cringed at the thought that that attraction wasn’t mutual. ‘Um, I don’t know. Can you?’ She did her best nonchalant body language in case he brushed her off – she wasn’t good at rejection, she found it mortifying; possibly because it didn’t happen too often. 

‘Can I buy you a drink?’ He looked her up and down, and Darcy could swear she detected the beginning of a smile behind that tough exterior. 

‘Sure.’ Darcy smiled. ‘Darcy.’ She held out her hand.

There was almost a look of recognition on his face, but he shook it away. ‘Shane.’ He shook her hand, took the seat next to her and ordered the drinks. ‘So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone?’

‘I needed some peace and quiet.’ Darcy looked down at her drink and laughed. 

‘Sorry if I interrupted.’

‘Not at all, I meant that I needed some peace and quiet from home life.’

‘I get that.’

‘Really?’

‘No,’ he smiled, ‘I live alone.’

Darcy talked about anything but her family; her studies, books, movies and friends – she’d had enough of family for one day. He talked about work, Darcy understood what it was like for cops – they don’t really have time for anything apart from work, her dad was the same.

‘What’s it like being a cop?’

‘I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.’ 

Darcy knew better than to push for a more comprehensive answer, it wasn’t the sort of job that had a simple explanation attached to it. ‘I couldn’t do it, I’m not authoritarian enough. And I don’t think I could hack it.’

A few more drinks in, Darcy had lost count of the exact amount, and she had forgotten about the concept of personal space – as had he. Her hand was on her shoulder and her head had frequently brushed against him as she had laughed. He had a hand rested permanently on her bare thigh and the other on her lower back. She didn’t even really know what they were laughing about, but it seemed like the most hilarious conversation she’d ever had – that was probably the drink though, on reflection. 

Darcy slipped her leather jacket back over her slender arms as they stepped out into the cool night air. Shane put an arm around her and offered to walk her home, a true gentleman – but Darcy wasn’t much of a lady. ‘I can’t quite remember where I’m staying. Maybe I could come back to yours until my head clears?’ She looked up at him with a devious expression on her face. 

‘That seems like the only option.’


	2. Chapter 2

The walk had a slightly sobering effect on both of them, although not enough for Shane to use his detective skills and realise he was about to make a huge mistake. He showed Darcy into his house and went to the fridge for some beers. As he turned around Darcy took the beers, put them on the counter and went in for a kiss; she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his height (although barely). His lips were firm and gentle at the same time. She loved the way that he looked at her, there was a huger in his eyes and she wanted to fulfil it. 

His hands roamed her body – her waist, lower back, bottom, and then back up to her neck. He lifted her onto the counter, their lips never parting, and ran his hands through her dark hair. Darcy pulled at his t-shirt, eager to see his body. She wasn’t disappointed, he took good care of himself and she couldn’t remember seeing anyone so attractive before. Shane slid her jacket off of her shoulders and lifted her dress over her head; swiftly discarding both on the kitchen floor. He kissed her neck and worked his way down to her bra-covered breasts. 

‘You’re so fucking hot.’ Shane unhooked her bra and discarded it with the rest of her clothes.

‘You’re not so bad yourself.’ Darcy unbuckled his jeans and slid herself off of the counter. She traced her hand over his chest and abs and then pulled down his jeans and underwear in one motion – following them down to the floor and knelt in front of him. She held his cock in her hand and stroked down the full length. Shane looked up to the ceiling briefly, enjoying the sensation, but looked back down at Darcy in time to see her engulf his length with her mouth while looking up at him with those doe eyes. He was in heaven, enjoying the sensation of her mouth and tongue on his shaft. 

Darcy couldn’t fit it all in, but she had a good go, she stroked the rest of his length with one hand, held onto the back of his thigh with her other, and maintained eye contact – the eye contact was what made the whole thing even hotter for her. The head of his cock hit the back of her throat and she gagged a little, but she didn’t mind. Darcy enjoyed the taste of his salty pre cum and giving head had always turned her on; she moved her hand down to her pussy and stroked along her slit and up to her clit. Shane had started grunting and thrusting into her mouth, she was sure he would cum any second. She carried on, now furiously sucking, until he pulled her up by her shoulders. 

Shane lifted Darcy back onto the counter and pulled her forward by her ass. He moved her lace underwear to one side and slid a finger inside her wet slit. Darcy moaned softly and parted her legs farther. 

‘Fuck me, please.’ She rested her feet on the edge of the counter, giving him an erotic view of her sex framed by her black lace underwear. ‘Please.’

Shane guided his cock to her pussy and slid it in slowly. She winced a little, it was bigger than she was used to, but reassured him that she was okay. Darcy rested back on her hands and enjoyed the feeling of him thrusting into her, she’d never felt so full. Shane held onto her hip with one hand and used his other to rub at her clit with his thumb. Darcy almost lost it there, but managed to keep her legs spread and her body steady as she felt the pleasure rush through her body, her cunt getting wetter with every thrust. Darcy’s body convulsed as her orgasm rippled through her body. Shane kept her steady until she could hold herself up.

He wrapped an arm around her slim waste and slid her off of the counter. In one move her turned her around, bent her over and buried himself into her dripping pussy. Darcy had barely recovered from her first orgasm and the sensitivity was almost painful for a moment, until she could feel the pleasure start to build again. Shane lifted one of her legs up and Darcy rested it on the counter. The sensation of being stretched nearly pushed Darcy over the edge. 

Shane held onto Darcy’s hips as he continued to thrust, he knew it wouldn’t be long until he came. When Darcy reached back and spread her ass cheek he couldn’t hold on any longer. He slammed into her one last time and emptied his load into her young, tight cunt.

***

‘What the fuck?’ Darcy was startled awake by the sound of a car horn outside. The sun beamed through the window and into the bedroom, she wasn’t sure how the sunlight hadn’t woken her sooner. Shane shot out of the bed beside her, and she suddenly realised she wasn’t in her own bed. 

‘Shit.’ He pulled the curtain back to look out of the window and then picked up the clock on the bedside cabinet. ‘I’m really fucking late.’

Darcy propped herself up on her elbows and watched as Shane frantically put some clothes on. ‘You’re working on a Saturday?’

‘Crime doesn’t stop on a weekend, sweetheart.’ He said drily as he pulled on a fresh pair of uniform trousers from his wardrobe.

Darcy pulled the sheets back and slipped on a discarded t-shirt that had been flung on the back of a chair in the corner of the room. She looked out of the window – another beautiful day – and her gaze stopped at the car out on the street. She recognised that unimpressed face all too well. Her heart jumped and she shot out of bed and away from the window as quickly as possible. ‘Shit!’

‘What?’ Shane was now fully dressed.

‘Can I leave a few minutes after you?’

‘I’m not leaving you in my house. What’s the problem?’

‘I’ll leave through the back then.’ She made her way to the kitchen, she remembered that that’s where her clothes were, and got dressed as quickly as possible. 

‘It’s not the first time I’ve had a woman stay over, you can leave through the front.’

‘I really can’t.’ Darcy slipped her feet into her boots. ‘Unless you want my dad to know that I just spent the night.’

‘What?’

‘To be honest, I’m not sure which one of us it would be worse for.’ She saw the blank look on Shane’s face, he needed an explanation. ‘I thought cops were supposed to be smart! The man waiting for you outside in the car, that’s my dad.’

‘Rick’s your dad? Fuck! Why didn’t you mention that last night?’

‘I didn’t know he was your partner!’

That’s when the knocking on the front door started. ‘Shane, you in there?’ 

She turned towards the front door. ‘Just give me a sec.’ He turned back to speak to Darcy, but she’d already made a swift exit. ‘Fuck!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope someone enjoys this!


	3. Chapter 3

Darcy snuck into the house through the kitchen door and made it to the guest bedroom before Lori could catch her, she really couldn’t be bothered to lie about where she had been last night and she certainly couldn’t tell the truth. Once she’d showered and dressed in clean clothes she headed down to the kitchen. Lori turned to her and leaned on the counter as she sipped her coffee. 

‘Good morning.’ Darcy smiled as she walked over to the fridge for a bottle of water act normal, she thought.

‘How was your evening?’

‘It was okay, how was yours?’ Darcy took a seat at the breakfast bar; it felt like Lori was boring a hole right through her skull. 

‘Would have been a lot better if your father hadn’t been worried about where you’d gotten to.’

‘Thought I’d texted, I stayed at a friend’s.’ Darcy took another sip of her water. ‘Sorry.’

‘I don’t like seeing your father worry about you.’ Lori filled her coffee cup. ‘Which friend?’

Darcy rolled her eyes. ‘Really?’

‘It would be nice to know where you were.’ Lori sipped her coffee, but didn’t take her eyes off of Darcy for a second. She always thought the worst in her and Darcy could tell she was trying to catch her in a lie to prove a point.

‘I’m an adult now,’ she headed for the back door. ‘“At a friend’s” is a sufficient explanation.’ 

Darcy spent the rest of the day in the garden on the sun lounger, reading her book – her favourite pastime when staying with her dad in the summer. Lori had left at some point in the afternoon to take Carl to football practice (or “soccer” in their language). She’d put her book down and had been lightly napping for, well she wasn’t sure how long for. 

‘You’re gonna burn if you’re not careful.’

Darcy snapped back to the land of the living and sat bolt upright. ‘What the fuck?’

‘I scare you?’ Shane smiled down at her; he looked even taller from Darcy’s current position. Her eyes wandered over his body as her mind wandered back to last night.

‘Let me sneak up on you while you’re napping and I’ll ask you the same thing.’ She stood up, suddenly feeling very naked in her bikini. Darcy grabbed her sundress from the back of the lounger and slipped it over her warm skin.

‘Sorry.’ He ran his hand through his hair and followed her into the kitchen.

‘I’ll live.’ Her mind wandered back to last night for a moment, but she quickly snapped out of it. ‘Dad’s at football practice with Carl and Lori.’

‘I know. I came to see you. I thought Carl played soccer?’

‘I’ve lived in the UK since I was 8, it’s football to me now.’ 

Awkward silence – Shane looked down at his shoes and then back up at Darcy. ‘About last night…’

She laughed and shook her head. ‘Don’t worry about it. One time thing, it won’t happen again. You didn’t have to come all the way over here to break the news to me, I’m not a schoolgirl.’ Honestly, she wanted him to correct her, but it’s easier not to have expectations – less chance of getting hurt. ‘Besides, I wouldn’t want to make things awkward between you and my dad.’

‘Yeah, I think he’d kill me if he knew.’ If Darcy didn’t know better, he almost looked hurt or disappointed. 

‘I don’t think he’d be too impressed with me either.’

***

Darcy hadn’t been able to get Shane out of her mind since that night. She kept having intense flashbacks of his hands all over her body; their lips pressed together; his toned body against her. She felt like an addict, desperately trying to stop herself from getting her next fix. She had resisted the urge to go to his house; she didn’t want to be rejected by him if he didn’t feel the same, so she had been living in her head for the last couple of weeks, replaying that night over and over again.

‘Are you in for dinner tonight?’ Lori asked. ‘We’re having company and I need to know how many places to set.’

‘Sure.’ Darcy got up from the sofa. ‘Need any help?’

When Lori mentioned that Shane was coming for dinner Darcy felt butterflies in her stomach. She might not be a schoolgirl anymore, but she was acting like one. The butterflies dropped dead the moment Lori mentioned that Shane was bringing a girlfriend. Darcy had never hated a stranger so much in her whole life.


	4. Chapter 4

Shane’s girlfriend was about the same age as him. Her attractive features were framed by her mid-length blonde hair and Darcy could see what he saw in her - a curvy figure, not slim but not fat by anyone’s standards; full lips; and kind eyes. 

Darcy was a thousand times more jealous now - she’d hoped that she wouldn’t be attractive at all. Why she’d thought there was a possibility of that she didn’t know, Shane was an extremely attractive man himself, of course this was his ideal woman. She was a veterinarian nurse, too. It was as if the universe couldn’t have picked anyone more perfect. She felt like an ugly duckling, inadequate and stupid for thinking he might look at her again - no chance now! 

Darcy stood awkwardly in the background as Debbie - that was her name - was introduced to everyone. Of course she smiled and partook in the pleasantries; her mother had raised her right. 

‘You remember Shane, don’t you?’ Her dad looked at her awaiting a response. 

She did, but she knew her dad didn’t mean it in the way she was thinking. The blank expression led to her dad explaining that she would have seen him around at some point when she was younger. She nodded, hoping her dad wouldn’t notice how awkward she was. Hoping no one would notice how awkward she was. 

This was the first full summer she had spent here since she was 13, she went through her teenage phase where she was desperate to spend all of her time with her friends so her summer visits had been cut to 2 weeks. She wondered whether they had met briefly before, how could she not have remembered? The last few years had been a blur, she had probably forgotten herself at some point between the exams, starting university, partying and... everything else. 

Darcy offered to get the beverages, anything to excuse herself from the awkwardness. She got a couple of beers out of the fridge, poured 3 glasses of wine and made a juice for Carl. Her dad had resigned himself to the fact that she would have wine with dinner, if only he knew the rest. 

‘Need a hand?’ Offered Shane. 

‘I’m okay.’ She didn’t even look up. She couldn’t bring herself to have him see her upset and weak. Rejection really wasn’t Darcy’s strong suit. 

He looked over his shoulder before stepping forward. ‘I’m sorry if this is awkward.’

‘If?’ She looked at him in disbelief and squeezed past with half of the drinks to the dining room. She walked back into the kitchen and took the beers. He was still looking at her. ‘There’s not really a question of “if”, is there?’ She shoved the beer into his hand. 

Dinner was awkward, as you could imagine. Shane and Debbie sat across from each other, as did Rick and Lori, leaving Darcy the choice of sitting either next to Shane or Debbie. The decision was made for her, she was the last to sit down and Carl took the seat next to Debbie. Perfect!

She hoped she didn’t look as uncomfortable as she felt. It’s not ideal sitting down to dinner with the man you’ve had a one night stand with, his girlfriend and your family. The only thing that would have made it more awkward was if everyone else knew. 

‘How long have you two been seeing each other?’ Lori asked, a perfectly normal question but it made Darcy want the earth to swallow her up - she couldn’t for the life of her think of an appropriate direction to look in or facial expression to present. She reached for her wine and as her hand moved it brushed against Shane’s. That electricity was still there, it made her heart beat quicker and she felt so betrayed by herself. 

‘A few months now, I think?’ Debbie looked to Shane. 

Darcy took a sip of wine, and then swiftly drained the rest of the glass. Debbie had given a detailed account how her and Shane had met - this just came through to Darcy’s ears as mumbling gibberish. She guessed it was sickeningly cute; mostly her mind lingered on the fact that Shane hadn’t been single that night. That sort of thing hadn’t bothered her in the past, but it did now. 

‘...And that’s pretty much it.’ Debbie laughed, Darcy was irritated that even her laugh sounded attractive. 

Straight after dinner she excused herself and went up to the guest room. She’d had enough of people for one night. 

***

‘Hey.’ Shane stood in her doorway and spoke with a low voice. Darcy glanced up and then looked back down to her book. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry? Whatever for?’ She set the book down on the bed. 

‘We weren’t exclusive... when we...’

‘You can say it, when we fucked.’ She didn’t take her eyes off of his. ‘Would she see it like that?’

‘Don’t...’

‘I’m not fucking stupid.’ She shook her head and stood up so that she could pace the room, struggling to keep her voice low. ‘Well, clearly I am. But I’m not that stupid.’ 

‘You’re not stupid.’ He put his hand on her shoulder. Her whole body tingled and she just wanted to melt into his arms.

‘You don’t know the half of it.’ She looked up at his face and placed a hand behind his head, pulling him down toward her lips. She felt his arm snake around her lower back and pull her in closer. It was the best kiss of her life, she wanted to have him then and there. No one else mattered... 

‘Shane, you ready?’ Debbie called from downstairs. 

Darcy quickly pulled away and turned towards the window. She couldn’t bring herself to watch him leave. He placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek before disappearing downstairs. She was more confused than ever. 

She didn’t sleep that night, and she couldn’t sleep the following night. It got to about 11.30pm, all was quiet in the Grimes house as Darcy sneaked out of the bedroom window. It was about a 15 minute walk to Shane’s and she spent another 15 minutes waiting about 3 houses away for either some courage to build or sense to kick in. Sense rarely wins and so she found herself standing on Shane’s porch at midnight hoping that he answered the door and that he didn’t have company. 

He opened the door and didn’t look entirely surprised to see her, and not at all disappointed. 

‘Hi.’ She said quietly, wishing she’d come up with a more articulate opening. 

‘Hi.’ He stood to one side and let her in. 

Darcy walked through to the living room and turned to face Shane. ‘I’m assuming your girlfriend isn’t here?’ 

‘No, she’s at her own place.’

Darcy nodded, she’d hoped that he would correct the “girlfriend” status. ‘She seems really nice.’ Why she’d said that, she didn’t know and by the look on Shane’s face he was trying to figure it out himself. 

‘She is, but I don’t think you came here to talk about her.’

‘I didn’t really come here to talk.’ She stood on her tiptoes to reach for a kiss. His lips lightly touched hers but he moved away. 

‘We can’t.’ He held her arms, neither pushing her away nor bringing her closer. Just keeping her in limbo. 

‘What’s changed?’ She looked up into his eyes, trying to read what he wanted. ‘I know I’m not as pretty as her...’

‘You’re beautiful,’ he pushed her hair away from her face and stroked her lips with his thumb. 

‘I can’t get you out of my head.’

‘I can’t get you out of mine.’

Darcy reached for the front of his jeans, he didn’t stop her. She unbuckled the belt and undid the buttons, he didn’t stop her. She got down onto her knees and reached into his jeans for his cock, he gently encouraged her down with a push on her shoulders. 

Shane tilted his head back as she ran her tongue up the length of his shaft. She teased the head before wrapping her lips around his girth. He let out a low moan and tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of her head. 

Darcy held onto the back of his thigh to steady herself and continued to suck along the length of his cock. She was soaking wet already and she used her free hand to push her underwear to one side and stroke her slit. As she took more of him in her mouth she felt the tip hit the back of her throat, she gagged but kept on going. 

Shane pulled her to her feet and bent her over the back of the sofa. Lifting her dress over her ass and moving her panties to one side, he pushed his length inside of her in one motion. Darcy let out a moan and held onto the sofa, she almost came right then. 

He held tight onto her hips as he thrust in and out. He couldn’t believe how tightly her pussy gripped his cock and he spread her cheeks to get a better view. ‘You like that?’ He spanked her ass lightly and felt her tense. 

‘Yes.’ She could barely think straight. ‘You feel so fucking good inside me.’ 

‘You’re so fucking tight.’ He spanked her again. ‘And wet. Play with yourself.’ He instructed, spreading her ass cheeks again - enjoying the view of his cock going in and out of her tight young cunt. 

Darcy reached down to her clit and circled. The feeling of his cock sliding in and out, and the pleasure from her own fingers was too much. ‘I’m gonna cum...’ her legs started to shake and her whole body tingled as her orgasm coursed through her body. Shane continued to thrust in and out, but as soon as her cunt started gripping him he released his load inside her - holding tightly onto her hips until they were both spent.


	5. Chapter 5

Darcy had left Shane’s before he could ask her to, and before he could tell her that it couldn’t happen again. She just didn’t want to hear it. Debbie was perfect in every way - beautiful, caring, funny, his age and not his best friend’s daughter. If there was even a chance he was torn between them, she knew who he’d choose. 

When she climbed back through her window just before 2am she was ready to get in bed and hide from the world for as long as possible. Unfortunately the figure at the end of her bed had other ideas. 

‘Shit.’ Darcy noticed her dad as soon as she’d straightened up. 

‘Where have you been?’ He kept his voice calm, although she could tell it was a struggle for him. 

‘I needed some air.’ She took a seat at the dressing table next to the window. 

‘At this time?’ Of course he didn’t believe her. 

‘Yes, I needed to clear my head.’

‘Darcy, where have you been? What have you been doing?’ A loaded question, and she knew what he was really asking. Rick had a look of concern on his face, the anger and disappointment had subsided for now. 

‘I just went for a walk.’ 

‘I worry about you, I never know what you’re thinking anymore.’

‘You never knew what I was thinking.’

‘I used to have a pretty good idea.’

‘I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. I promise.’

‘That’s my job.’ 

‘Well, I think it would be pretty difficult to get into any trouble in the town where my dad’s the sheriff.’ She smiled

‘At least you get to have an uncomplicated summer here.’ 

Darcy sighed. Yep, really uncomplicated. 

Rick headed for the door. ‘So no getting into trouble, just out for a walk?’

‘Yep, just clearing my head.’

***

It was about midnight when Darcy headed back to town after a weekend with her friend in Atlanta. She was going to stay another night, but changed her mind when her friend’s brother came into town unexpectedly - he was always trying to come onto her, and she really couldn’t be bothered this time so she made her excuses and left. 

She took the long route back to her dad’s, she just wanted to see whether Debbie’s car was in front of Shane’s house. Even if it wasn’t, she would probably still head back to her dad’s - probably. She parked up a couple of houses away, no Debbie. 

Darcy sat there for a few minutes, pondering what to do next. The smart thing to do would be to leave - but when had she ever done the smart thing? She wasn’t sure how she got there, or how she’d made the decision, but before she knew it she was sat at the kitchen counter with Shane, drinking a beer and sharing the details of her weekend. There was that nagging desire in the back of her brain, for him to rip her clothes off and fuck her senseless. Again. 

It felt so natural, talking to him, like they could talk forever and never run out of things to say. It didn’t hurt that he was so attractive. That smile, the way he ran his hand through his hair when he laughed, the way he looked at her like she was everything - even though she knew she wasn’t - made her knees weak and her brain work just that little bit slower. Why was she torturing herself? He didn’t want her, she wasn’t good enough for him - she wasn’t good for him. 

‘We can’t keep doing this.’ Darcy stood up, giving him every opportunity to beg her to stay, even to suggest she should. ‘We’re going to keep going around in circles.’ She headed for the door, he didn’t stop her. 

***

That was 2 weeks ago. Darcy had done everything she could to take her mind off of him. She’d caught up on her reading, watched more Netflix than she was proud to admit and caught up with some old friends from summers past. 

Madison and Breanne had lived near to her dad before he and Lori had bought their house together. She’d kept in touch with them over the years and they’d met for wild nights in strange cities around the world and always had a great time together. No drama and no expectations, except fun. Madi was a tall blonde with ice blue eyes, while Breanne was a petite red head. 

‘Shall we get another round in?’ Breanne raised her voice to be heard in the busy bar. 

Darcy turned around with a tray of shots. ‘Way ahead of you.’ They worked their way to the table and Darcy set the tray out. 

‘To us, being awesome.’ Madi held her shot up to toast, the others followed and slung the drinks back. 

‘And not leaving it so long next time!’ Breanne beamed. 

‘To being free and single...’ Darcy started. 

‘...and hot!’ Madi laughed as the next set of shots disappeared. 

There was a live band on tonight, and they’d drawn quite the crowd. The three friends had dressed quite differently: Madi had worn her usual jeans and a tank top; Breanne wore a short navy blue dress; and Darcy had thrown her leather jacket over a little black dress (it almost looked like it was painted onto her body) and worn her boots. 

They drank and danced, enjoying the music and the atmosphere. Darcy put her jacket over the back of her chair and sauntered to the bar for the next round. ‘Three beers, please.’ She precariously picked up the three pints with two hands and turned to make her way back to their table, instead she walked straight into a man and spilt some of her precious beer down the front of his t-shirt. 

‘Shit, I’m sorry.’ She stepped to one side and looked up. Those familiar smoldering eyes travelled over her body, he made her feel naked. ‘Hi.’ She cursed herself again, she lost all of her good words in his presence. 

‘Hi.’ He looked at the wet stain on his t-shirt. 

‘Sorry about that, you came out of nowhere.’ Darcy laughed, he stayed straight faced. 

‘I was standing still. How many have you had?’ He put a hand on her shoulder to steady her, the look of concern on his face pissed her off - he didn’t get to pity her! 

‘Too many... not enough.’ She pushed past him to her table, Madi and Breanne were dancing with a couple of guys and Darcy didn’t want to interrupt. She drank half her beer in one motion and looked over at where she’d bumped into Shane. Why couldn’t she articulate herself around him? Why did she regress back into a silly schoolgirl every time she saw him?

Darcy started walking back in his direction, when an attractive man in his mid-to-late 20s started dancing with her. What the hell? She pushed her body closer to his as she moved in rhythm with the music. He put his hands on her hips and she felt one of his hands move down to her backside, she didn’t care. Darcy was about to go in for a kiss when she was roughly yanked away. 

‘What the fuck?’ She spun around to meet Shane’s gaze. 

‘I think you need to go home.’

Darcy laughed. ‘Why?’

‘Before you do something you regret.’

‘That’s not your decision to make.’

‘Your dad would kill me if...’

‘Funny how that thought never entered your head when I was making decisions I would regret with you.’ He looked hurt, but she couldn’t stop herself. ‘You have a girlfriend, I’m not your possession and I’m certainly not your responsibility.’ She grabbed her jacket and made her way outside, texting her friends as she went. ‘Stop following me.’

‘I’m not letting you walk home alone.’ 

Darcy carried on walking, double her normal pace. ‘You’re excused from your warped sense of chivalry!’

‘I still care about you.’

‘Just what every girl longs to hear!’ She spun around, he was closer than she’d expected. 

‘What is your problem? You brushed me off!’ 

Everything felt fuzzy and Darcy rubbed a hand against her head. ‘I didn’t...’ she stumbled forward and steadied herself with his upper arm. ‘I can’t go back to my dad’s like this.’ She straightened herself up and took a few steps back towards the bar. 

‘You can sober up at mine,’ he put his arm around her waist and headed for home. 

She drained the first glass of water Shane had given her and was sipping the second. ‘It was just supposed to be a bit of fun.’

‘Well, you looked like you were having fun...’

‘Not that in there, tonight. You, us. Well there shouldn’t have been a question of “us”, that’s how it works for me. Pick the unattainable. On purpose.’

‘You’re not making any sense...’

‘I’m perfectly sensible,’ she smiled. ‘You make no sense, with your arms and your... face.’ She gestured to his whole physique. ‘I’m so fucking stupid.’

‘I think you need to go to bed.’

‘Will you come with me?’ Placidly, she followed him to the bedroom. 

‘Sure.’


	6. Chapter 6

Darcy slowly opened her eyes, the light coming through the curtains was offensive to her senses and she rubbed her eyes to help them adjust; she sat up and took in her surroundings. She was at Shane’s, well done Darcy, alone in his bed. She peeled back the covers and threw her legs over the side of the bed, he’d given her a t-shirt to wear and she still had her underwear on. Nothing happened. She felt relieved, she hadn’t done something stupid while drunk. Then the memory of her poisonous tongue came back to her, shit. 

She took a look in the mirror before padding through to the kitchen. Shane set a large cup of coffee down on the counter for her. ‘Good morning, beautiful.’

‘Ugh, don’t. I feel rough as.’ She tucked her hair behind her ears and sipped the hot liquid. 

‘Nah, you still look pretty when you’re hungover.’ 

Darcy blushed, she never blushed. ‘I seem to remember being a bit of a dickhead last night, I’m sorry.’ She scrunched her nose and looked down. 

‘It’s okay, I deserved it.’

‘You’ve done nothing wrong, it’s me. I keep putting myself in your way.’

‘I like having you in my way.’

Their eyes met and Darcy felt as though her heart had stopped. She desperately wanted to kiss him, or him to kiss her. Her mouth dried up and she didn’t know what to say or do. What did he want? Why did they keep circling around to this?

‘I should leave.’ She looked to him for confirmation or contradiction - nothing. ‘Okay.’ She said, more to herself than him. ‘I assume you want me to leave?’ She stood up to head to the bedroom for last night’s clothes. 

‘I don’t know what I want.’

‘No shit. The day you figure out what you do want, there’ll probably be a parade.’ 

‘I want you, but I don’t want to hurt you.’ He grasped her upper arm to stop her from leaving. 

‘I’m not a delicate flower.’ Her eyes met his. ‘Maybe I want you to hurt me.’ She didn’t break eye contact even though her heart was beating like drum and she wasn’t sure how she was still standing.

He almost growled as he pulled her close and kissed her roughly, his hands tangled in her hair and then moved down to the small of her back - pulling her tight to his torso. He pushed her up against the counter and pulled the t-shirt over her head, discarding it on the kitchen floor.

Darcy felt his hands on her butt as he lifted her up onto the counter. They were in a tangle of limbs, she could feel his hands everywhere and every nerve was on fire at his touch. She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched her back as he kissed down her neck to her breasts. 

Shane lifted her off of the counter, carried her through to the bedroom and threw her down onto the bed. He had a hunger in his eyes as he took of his t-shirt and jeans. He peeled her underwear off and parted her legs, he held her thighs apart and ran his tongue up her slit to her clit. She let out a breathy sigh and moved herself closer to him. Her body shook with every movement of his mouth and she had to hold onto the bed sheets to stop herself from losing it completely. 

Shane kissed up from her stomach to her collar bone and circled her clit with his rough thumb, he loved the look of pleasure on her face - eyes closed, cheeks flush and parted lips. ‘God, you’re beautiful.’ All she could muster was a moan in response, she was completely his. ‘You enjoying that?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Tell me what you want.’ He moved his thumb an inch away, waiting for an answer - she lifted her hips, trying to find him. ‘Tell me what you want me to do to you.’

‘Please.’ Her hand moved down to his, but he caught her and held her arms above her head.

‘You need to tell me.’

‘I want you...’

‘Yes?’ He teased her clit, frustrating her that little bit more. 

‘Please, I want you,’ she bucked her hips to meet his touch. ‘I want you to fuck me.’ 

Shane rubbed the head of his cock up her slit and slid inside. Darcy arched her back as Shane held her hips steady; he built his rhythm, slamming himself inside her to be met with moans and screams of his name. 

Darcy writhed underneath him, lifting her ass off of the bed to meet his thrusts. Every nerve in her body was electric, she was on the cusp of coming when Shane flipped her over onto her stomach, lifted her hips and slammed back into her. The more she screamed his name the rougher he was; he held onto her shoulder tightly, keeping her in place as her cunt spasmed around him. He felt her coming and that was enough to tip him over the edge. He exploded inside her and held her still until the painful sensitivity wore off. 

***

They had spent an hour together in bed, no talking - just being; her head on his chest, his arm around her waist. It was a perfect moment and neither of them wanted to be the one to break it. There was a light breeze coming through the window and Darcy was enjoying the patch of sun lingering on her skin. 

Shane’s phone started to buzz on the bedside table, he reluctantly leaned over to look at the screen and quickly sat up to answer it. Darcy rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. 

‘Hey.’ Shane said quietly into the phone, glancing back to Darcy for a second. ‘No, nothing...’

Darcy rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. She knew who was on the other end of that phone call, she couldn’t listen to it - she would cry or scream and neither was an option. She wanted to ask him to choose, pick one of them, but she was scared it wouldn’t be her. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping it might shock some sense into her. She knew it wouldn’t be her, Debbie was a long term plan, Darcy was - shit, Darcy didn’t even know what she wanted. 

She walked back into the bedroom, he was still on the phone, and dressed herself in last night’s clothes. She tied her long hair up with a hair tie from her handbag, checked that she had her phone and keys and started to leave the room. 

‘You’re going?’

‘Yep.’ She turned and leaned on the door frame. ‘I imagine you’ll want to change the sheets before you see Debbie later.’ 

‘I’m not seeing her later.’

‘That’s not really... never mind.’ She turned to leave. ‘Thanks for looking after me last night.’ 

‘Wait.’ 

Darcy turned back to him, and folded her arms across her chest. ‘What do you want from me?’

‘I care about both of you, and I can’t stop thinking about you. But...’

‘But you want to be with her.’ Darcy nodded. ‘I’m not stupid, I know that. If you wanted to be with me you would be.’ She flashed him an angry look. 

‘Come on, Darcy. I’m not the only one making this complicated. You don’t want to be with me.’

She opened her mouth to respond. She did want to be with him, just not in the way Debbie wanted him. She didn’t want the *public* relationship, and she really wasn’t “wife material” - she was too young for that anyway. 

‘You’re too much of a daddy’s girl to be with me, what would Rick say? Would he look at you differently? I don’t think you could stand that.’

‘So that’s the problem, then?’ Darcy looked him dead in the eyes. ‘It’s got nothing to do with the fact that you’ve got a girlfriend? Or that you’re worried about what my dad would think? It’s all me?’

‘That’s not what I said.’

‘Sounded like it to me. I’ll see you around.’ She headed for the front door.

‘Yeah, next time you’re bored or drunk.’


	7. Chapter 7

She made it her mission to avoid Shane at all costs, she wanted to prove to him (and herself) that she didn’t need him. She was more than a little disappointed that he didn’t try to see her, but it was this that helped her to move on - well, get to the end of the summer and onto her flight without another round of head fucks. 

This summer was supposed to straighten her out in time for her final year of university, but instead it made her more confused than ever. She soon dipped back into her old habits of partying too much in a bid to rid her mind of thoughts of Shane. She hung out with the old group of friends and started seeing her ex-boyfriend again, but nothing worked. It was like she was going through the motions, the only time she felt anything was when she thought about Shane, or when the recreational drugs she had started using again synthesised an emotion. She ignored concerned calls from her dad and her mum for as long as possible, but managed to sound half put together when she eventually did have to pick up the phone. 

Her dad was more worried about her than her mum, but that amount of miles will do that to a parent. She promised she was okay - not entirely a lie (she was alive and on course for a first in her degree) - and her dad reluctantly believed her. 

Her mother, on the other hand, did not. As soon as Darcy had graduated she shipped her back off to her dad’s and away from all of the bad influences, not taking a moment to think that Darcy might be a bad influence on herself. 

***

Rick picked Darcy up from the airport, like he always did. They sat in silence for half of the car journey. She knew he wanted to talk about the incident, it was just a matter of time before he brought it up. Darcy was enjoying the hot sun on her skin and the scenery that rolled past as they got closer to their destination. 

‘I thought we were past all that.’ He said, quietly and calmly - although she could feel how angry he was with her

‘Me too.’ Darcy hoped she could get this over and done with quickly. She didn’t need a lecture, she wasn’t an addict. 

‘You’re a smart girl, Darcy, how could you do something so stupid?’

She sighed, she couldn’t give the real reason and even if she could, it didn’t make that much sense. She was just really good at making bad decisions. 

‘You can stay with us as long as you need, you’ve never done anything like that here.’

She smiled and nodded. Nothing like that, she had a different addiction here. Her head faced the window again, she hoped this was the last they would talk about it. 

Lori was frosty with her for the first couple of days, more so than usual, but after that they got back to her usual quiet discontent. Darcy avoided her as much as possible, more because she could see that Lori was pissed off at her dad for some nonexistent reason and she didn’t want to make it worse by calling her out on her shit. She knew how that conversation would twist itself around to her own mistakes and she really couldn’t be bothered. 

She had no one to give her an update on Shane, and why would they? No one knew about them. And it wasn’t as though she could ask - as far as her dad and Lori knew they’d had one dinner together last summer and didn’t remember knowing each other before that. 

Instead she had to occupy her time so that her mind didn’t drift there. Her dad’s house had never been so clean. She had dusted everywhere she could reach and cleaned everything in sight to within an inch of its life. 

Darcy had intentionally stayed in the house for the first week. She didn’t want to absentmindedly walk to Shane’s and she didn’t want to bump into him. Her first foray out of the house was Lori’s fault; she had bumped into her friend, Madison, at the store and prompted her to call Darcy. 

And that brings us here, to a bar on a busy Saturday night. Madi had wanted to show off her new fiancé. He was nice enough, but they did that couple thing and left early. Darcy had said she would stay on for one more, And here we are. 

Darcy was a good few G&Ts in, she wasn’t sure how many, and a man in his early thirties had been eyeing her up for at least the last drink and a half. He slid over to her side of the bar and flirted, she couldn’t help but reciprocate - what else was there to do here on a Friday night? She crossed her legs towards him, laughed at his jokes and didn’t push him off when he absentmindedly put his hand on her knee. 

She had no intention of going home with him, but she was enjoying the attention for now. He leaned in, brushed her hair off of her shoulder and whispered into her ear that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She excused herself for the bathroom, intending to hide out for a few minutes and then make her excuses to leave. 

As Darcy headed to the back of the bar she felt a large hand grab her arm and before she knew it she was in the alley way behind the bar looking up at Shane. 

‘What the hell?’ She rubbed at the hand print on her arm. He had a wild look in his eyes as he looked down at her; he held her by the back of the head and kissed her roughly, letting his hands roam over her body. 

‘That guy was all over you. I can’t believe you let him touch you like that.’ He looked at her half in disgust and half in lust. 

Darcy was dumbfounded. ‘I...’

‘That idiot doesn’t deserve to touch you.’ He slid the hem of her dress up her thighs and stroked at her soft skin. Darcy rested her head on the wall, all she wanted was him. Every stupid decision she had made over the last 10 months was an effort to rid herself of these feelings. 

‘That’s not...’ she couldn’t get her words out as he kissed her neck. ‘We’re not...’ her head was swimming, she couldn’t think straight. She wanted him, but not like this - not because he was jealous of some guy in a bar. She could easily just let herself go, let him have her again, slip back into her obsession with him.

‘You liked making me jealous in there, didn’t you?’ He pulled her underwear to one side and slid a finger along her slit. ‘You’re so wet for me. Or is it for him?’

Darcy almost let herself go, but she pushed his hand away from between her thighs and tried to push him away by pressing her hand against his chest. ‘Shane, stop.’

That was all it took. He stepped back, flustered and frustrated, and ran his hand over his hair and then his stubble. ‘Darcy...’

Darcy straightened herself up. ‘I can’t do this again.’

‘I can’t stand seeing you with anyone else.’

‘I’m not with that guy, he was just buying me a drink.’

‘That’s how it starts.’

‘Even if I was, you have a girlfriend and it’s not me. I don’t exist in a bubble for you to pick me up when you want me and drop when you get bored.’ She pushed past him, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. 

‘You think I could ever be bored by you? I lo...’

‘Don’t.’ She snatched her hand out of his grasp and walked back into the bar, her heart pounding with every step. She had to get out of there, he couldn’t say that to her.


	8. Chapter 8

He had tried calling, more than once, but Darcy couldn’t speak to him. She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t do something stupid. He’d almost told her that he loved her, for God’s sake. And so she stayed in the house, pottering around - again. There’s no way he would risk a conversation between them being overheard, so she was safe here until she sorted her head out. 

Her dad could tell something was wrong, but he couldn’t tell what. Lori was convinced she was missing her boyfriend - she always assumed that she must be pining after a boy (okay, she was right on this occasion, just wrong about who). All Darcy could do was repeat that she was fine and that she just didn’t feel like going out right now. 

‘You sure you don’t want to come?’ Rick asked from the living room doorway. 

‘I’d rather just have some time to myself.’ She smiled. ‘Have fun.’ Darcy turned back to the television and listened as they left. She was happy to finally have some alone time, no one would be asking whether she was okay every five minutes. 

She was 3 episodes into crap reality TV binge when she heard a light knock on the door. She almost didn’t answer, but Lori had mentioned something about a parcel so she thought better of pretending that no one was home and slowly trudged to the door. 

Darcy opened the door, ready to do her best suburbia-smile, but pretty much choked on it when she saw Shane on the porch, just about to turn and leave. She almost slammed the door shut, but he’d seen her. 

‘Hi.’ 

Darcy just looked at him with what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-here written all over her face. 

‘I just wanted to apologise for last night.’

‘Okay.’

‘And have a conversation like adults.’ He looked for a chink in her armour, nothing. ‘Can I come in?’

Darcy left the door open and walked into the kitchen, Shane closed the door behind him and followed her through the house. ‘There’s some coffee in the pot, want some?’ She opened the cupboard to get some mugs out. 

‘Sure.’ He watched in silence as she poured 2 mugs of coffee - one with cream and sugar for him, and the other left black and unsweetened for herself. ‘I’m sorry about last night, I had no right to assume...’ all he could see was the back of her head, the long hair flowing past her narrow shoulders. He had no idea what the expression on her face looked like. 

‘No, you didn’t,’ she folded her arms and turned to face him. 

‘I can’t stop thinking about you.’ He watched for a reaction, but she just looked down into her coffee cup like it held the secret of life. ‘I love you.’ Nothing. ‘Darcy, did you hear me?’

‘What do you want from me? Please tell me, because I can’t figure it out.’ It wasn’t the reaction he had wanted, or expected. ‘You come here to apologise for last night, fine. And you say you want to have an adult conversation but all you do is say... that. I didn’t want you to say it last night and I didn’t want you to say it here.’

‘What do you want me to say? I’m here, telling you how I feel. You’re just acting like a ch...’

‘Don’t call me a child!’ She said, a little more childishly than she’d have liked. ‘I’m just trying to protect myself, I can’t go to pieces again. I’m worried I won’t be able to put myself back together next time.’ He moved toward her and reached an arm around her shoulder, she shrugged it off and moved away. ‘Just go home, and I’ll make sure I stay out of your way.’

‘I’ve told you before, I want you in my way.’ His eyes met hers and there was now a softer look to her stare. He inched towards her and moved her hair out of her face, she didn’t shrink away this time and he let his thumb linger on her jaw. Darcy could feel her body pulling towards him like a magnet until their lips almost touched. She pressed her body against his and gave in. 

They kissed softly at first. Darcy stroked her hands up Shane’s strong back and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Shane kissed her deeply and held her hips close to his body before lifting her up onto the counter. He pushed her skirt up her thighs and pulled her underwear down, she didn’t stop him this time. 

Darcy wrapped her legs around Shane’s waist as he thrust into her. She arched her back and tilted her head back, enjoying the feeling of his cock in her pussy, thrusting in and out, and his lips littering kisses across her chest. Darcy dug her heels into the back of his thighs, pulling him in as deep as she could. 

Soon she felt that familiar wave of pleasure rip through her body and she couldn’t help but scream his name. That was all he needed, hearing his name out of those lips. He tended up and thrust one last time, groaning as he came inside her. 

Darcy had just pulled her underwear back on when she heard the keys in the front door. Shane quickly returned to his coffee and Darcy turned around to the sink. She heard their chattering voices close in on the kitchen and could not for the life of her think of any sensible reason why Shane would be here alone with her - other than the truth, of course. 

‘Shane, what’re you doing here?’ Rick didn’t suspect a thing, yet. 

‘I just came over to see if I left my sunglasses in your car yesterday. Darcy invited me in for a coffee, she said you wouldn’t be long.’

‘We’re a bit earlier than we thought we’d be...’ Lori looked to Darcy. 

‘Let’s go take a look.’ Rick led Shane out to the front and Carl followed as always. 

Darcy was sure she must look sex-flushed. She tried her best to look normal but just looked nervous, or guilty. She picked the coffee cups up off of the counter and rinsed them in the sink, Lori watching her every move as she did. 

‘You look happier than you were this morning.’

‘Do I?’ 

‘I guess you didn’t mind having some company after all.’

Darcy carried on wiping down the kitchen counter. She had no idea how to respond to that without sounding awkward. All she could do was flash a slight smile and exit the kitchen. 

‘He’s a little old for you.’

Darcy stopped in her tracks. She opened her mouth to respond, but Lori cut her off. 

‘And I can assure you he’s not interested.’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ She walked towards the sitting room, fighting the urge to set her straight. 

‘It’s a little inappropriate to have a crush on your dad’s best friend.’ Lori had timed that last comment just right as Rick and Shane came back into the house. 

Darcy didn’t hang around, she headed up to the guest room where she could hear the muffled conversation below - mostly consisting of Lori teasing Shane and Shane not saying much at all. In that moment she wanted to burst downstairs and tell them the truth, get it all out in the open. But she always looked three moves ahead with things like that and she had no idea how she would handle the fallout. Shane was right, she was too much of a daddy’s girl to publicly be in a relationship with him. 

‘I’m sorry if I embarrassed you earlier.’ Lori said as she set the laundry basket down on the dresser. 

‘No you’re not.’ Darcy would have usually smiled and taken the faux apology, but she was feeling less than agreeable today. 

Lori just laughed under her breath as she started to leave the room. ‘I suppose it makes a change, you being interested in someone decent.’

Darcy stood up and pushed past Lori. ‘I’m going out.’

‘Where?’

‘Out.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone that’s interested: I won’t be able to post for a few days, I’m going away for a long weekend in Budapest.


	9. Chapter 9

Darcy spent hours walking around the town, trying to calm her temper. She thought of all of the things she wanted to say to Lori, to prove her wrong. She wasn’t a stupid girl with a crush on a man that had no interest in her. 

Of course she ended up in front of Shane’s house, although she wasn’t sure how she got there. 

‘Can I come in?’

Shane stepped to one side, smiling at her as she breezed into his living room. He watched her closely, nervously fidgeting with her fingers as she thought about how to articulate herself. 

‘Did you mean what you said?’

‘When?’

‘When you said... that.’ She gave him a knowing look, but he showed no signs that he was following her. 

‘You’ll have to be more specific.’

‘When you told me... when you said “I love you.” Did you mean it?’ By this point she had taken a beer out of the fridge, she needed something for her nerves. 

‘I don’t make a habit of saying things I don’t mean.’

Darcy watched him as she sipped her beer, she wasn’t good at talking about how she felt. Anything she said would feel insincere. ‘Okay.’

‘Okay? That’s all I get, okay?’

‘What do you want me to say?’ She knew what he wanted her to say, what she should say, the words just wouldn’t come out. ‘I think it’s obvious how I feel.’

‘Is it? I can’t tell.’

‘I keep trying to see how this is going to work, I just... can’t.’ Darcy put the empty bottle in the bin. ‘I should go.’

‘Don’t.’ He held onto her arm. ‘What are you so afraid of?’ 

She felt that familiar tingle make its way through her body and all sensible thoughts leave her mind. Shane pulled her closer, their lips almost touching. The anticipation made time slow and all of a sudden there was nothing in the world but him. 

‘Well...?’

‘Nothing.’ Finally their lips touched and the world melted away. No more doubts, no more questions and no more anxiety. Everything felt right. Darcy held Shane by the hand and started walking towards the bedroom. 

‘Wait.’ He pulled her back. ‘I want to hear you say it.’

‘Come on.’ She tugged at his arm, but he wouldn’t move. 

‘Say it.’ 

She looked up into his eyes, he hadn’t looked away from her the whole time. He had a stony expression on his face and she knew she had to at least try to say how she felt. ‘I...’ the words caught in her throat. ‘I do love you.’

He pulled her close again and kissed her deeply before leading her to the bedroom. Something felt different this time, he was gentler than before as he peeled her clothes off. He kissed down her neck, past her breasts and to her stomach. Darcy arched her back to his touch, letting him do whatever he wanted. He pulled her underwear down and softly kissed her inner thigh, slowly making his way to the folds of her sex. 

Darcy moaned and could almost feel him smile as he traced his tongue up her slit. She spread her legs a little more and gripped onto the bed sheets as he circled her clit and inched two thick fingers inside her. She could feel herself tighten around his fingers and she moaned loudly as she felt the release of her orgasm ripple through her body. She lay still, basking in the afterglow. 

Shane moved back on top of her and kissed her mouth as he slid his erection inside her, she was still sensitive from her orgasm and she whined at the sensation of being filled up. He held onto her ankle, spreading her apart, as he thrust into her - releasing little moans each time. 

Darcy gripped at Shane’s bicep with one hand, the other still holding onto the covers. Just the sight of him on top of her drove her crazy, her body shook uncontrollably as she came underneath him for the second time. She was truly, completely satisfied in every way. 

***

Darcy woke at some point in the early morning to the sound of a buzzing mobile. Shane was fast asleep next to her, so she quietly got out of bed and tiptoed through to the kitchen. She had assumed it was her phone, but as she read the message she quickly realized it wasn’t for her. 

She stared at the bright screen, reading the message over and over. Debbie wanted to know what time to come over in the afternoon. Darcy put the phone back on the counter and quietly gathered her clothes from the bedroom. She wasn’t going to ask him to stop seeing Debbie, but she also wasn’t going to hang around to get her heart broken. Had it been naive to assume that he would just break things off with her? Probably. 

***

It didn’t take long to pack her things up and it wasn’t difficult for her to convince her dad why she needed to go back to her mum all of a sudden - more job opportunities. Lori jumped at the task of dropping her off at the airport, it was too short notice for her dad to take any time off. 

‘Just promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.’ Rick held onto her tightly. 

‘I promise.’ She smiled. ‘I’m an adult now.’ 

‘You sure you can’t stay a little longer?’

‘I need to get my life back on track.’

‘Honey, we need to leave now if you want to make your flight.’ Lori looked at her watch, itching to get this over and done with. 

‘I’ll just grab my last bag.’ Darcy went back up to her room and did one last sweep to make sure she hadn’t left anything. She could hear Lori bickering at her dad, he didn’t say anything - he never did. 

Lori stopped mid-snipe as Darcy came back down the stairs. ‘Ready?’

‘Yeah.’ Darcy looked over at her dad, half way out of the door already. ‘I’ll be back for Christmas.’

‘Call me when you land. I love you.’ He closed the door behind him. Little did Darcy know, that would be the last time she would see him for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to end it somewhere, and a happy ending didn’t feel right. 
> 
> I hope anyone that read this enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
